Village pub fights ban with e-cigs

Landlord Frank Booth has decided to sell e-cigarettes to attract smokers back to his Chobham pub.

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A PUB landlord is allowing punters to smoke inside his premises — without breaking the law.

Frank Booth, landlord of The Sun Inn in Chobham, is selling electronic cigarettes (also called e-cigarettes) in a bid to boost trade.

It is completely legal to smoke the cigarettes in enclosed spaces because they are not harmful to others. No smoke comes out of an e-cigarette — just a harmless vapour that disappears within seconds — so passive smoking is not a concern.

Punters can smoke it without lighting up because a sensor detects when the user puts the e-cigarette — which have been available for the past year — to their mouth.

However, they are similar to ordinary cigarettes, which contain nicotine. Users must top up the e-cigarette with nicotine-filled cartridges and use a battery charger to maintain the sensor.

They are also believed to be healthier because cartridges are sold with varying amounts of nicotine to help smokers quit.

Since the national smoking ban was imposed in July 2007, Mr Booth has noticed a significant decline in his sales figures, a drop of 30%.

He is hoping the new initiative will attract more customers and said: “We’ve got to come up with something.

Customers don’t mind going outside to smoke in the summer but we need to keep them happy during the cold winter nights. The smoking ban is anti-social because non-smokers are often left sitting inside on their own. This venture will help solve that problem.”

Mr Booth picked up the idea at the National Pub Show in Birmingham last week — and has since taken immediate action.

He ordered the non-disposable cigarettes and accompanying parts from company Cigstar and has put them up for sale in his pub.

Mr Booth, who is a smoker, called on punters to try them and added: “They’re not exactly the same but they’ve still got the same nicotine amount.

“The problem with nicotine patches is that you’ve got nothing in your hand. This is good as it feels like you’re smoking something.

“They’re a little bigger than normal cigarettes but they are a reasonable size and do not look ugly.”

But Mr Booth promised to clamp down on punters who use this opportunity to smoke ordinary cigarettes instead.

“This will be a concern but I’m going to monitor the situation very carefully. My bar staff will be on full alert,” he said.

“Luckily, e-cigarettes don’t have to be lit so if there’s a smell of smoke in the air we’ll soon know about it.”

According to Mr Booth, the tip of the e-cigarette, which is red, may be changed to a different colour in a bid to deter opportunists.

Karen Simmonds, alliance co-ordinator for Smokefree Surrey, part of Surrey Primary Care Trust, said: “Nicotine is highly addictive and research has shown that cigarettes are as addictive as drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

“Electronic cigarettes still contain nicotine. They are simply a very expensive nicotine delivery system. From a health point of view, the best thing to do is to stop smoking altogether.

“The evidence shows people are four times more likely to be successful if they quit with support from the NHS rather than trying to do it on their own. Smokers who want to quit should call the NHS for free help and support.”

E-cigarettes are available from The Sun Inn at £39.95 each. with cartridges priced at £5 for five. One cartridge is equivalent to five packets of ordinary cigarettes.

Do you think e-cigarettes will catch on or are they as harmful as normal cigarettes? Call the newsdesk on 01483 755755 or email newsandmail@woking.co.uk.